


A Bad Penny

by zeuswrites



Series: Guns Go Off When I Enter The Building [3]
Category: Fallout (Video Games), Fallout 3, Fallout 4
Genre: Explicit Language, Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-12-10
Updated: 2015-12-10
Packaged: 2018-05-06 00:07:59
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 822
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5395304
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/zeuswrites/pseuds/zeuswrites
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Nobody is ever happy to see the Lone Wanderer.</p>
            </blockquote>





	A Bad Penny

He didn't have time to stop and look at the stranger who dove under his gunfire straight towards the ferals. He registered them, obviously, but only as far as field awareness went; there were two on his side instead of one now, and they held their own, and that was as much as his brain noted before shutting down anything that wasn't eliminating the threat. Together they barked commands -  _out of ammo!, incoming at six!, cover me!_  - and kept shredding their way through ferals until they were breathing heavily, looking around for the next one to find none incoming.  
  
"Jesus Christ," Rhys whispered behind him with horror, and Danse would have thought it was pain or disgust at the pile of corpses around them, if the small part of his brain that was rebooting out of crisis mode didn't whine along.   
  
"I can't go anywhere without bumping into you assholes." Eveline inspected the barrel of her rifle, flicking a glob of flesh off it before turning her entire body towards Danse and looking at him unkindly. She didn't change much in the past few years - cut her hair, got new scars on her face and wrinkles between her eyebrows, her ghoul wasn't with her - but she still towered over everyone around her with the same volatile sort of aggression, ready to fly off her handle in any given moment.   
  
"Soldier", he said cautiously. "What an... unexpected..." He looked reflexively to Haylen for support, and she immediately squatted down to inspect Rhys' wound. Traitor. Danse stifled a sigh and got a grip, and it was with perfect poise that he spoke. "While I appreciate your support, meeting you in Boston is no coincidence. State your business in the Commonwealth."  
  
"Came all the way from Washington for you to eat my ass, for all you care. What are  _you_  doing here?"  
  
"That's classified."  
  
"Ain't it always."  
  
She leaned against the barricade, looking glumly above the corpses without interest. After a moment of thought she narrowed her eyes, remembering something, and leaned back to look at Rhys.  
  
"Haylen", she gave a nod. "Holy shit, Rhys, look at you, your highness. Comfortable up there? Fucking pussy, you couldn't pick up a gun while you were farting into the floor up there? Lazy bitch." She turned back towards Danse before Rhys replied, and Haylen was clever enough to press gauze onto his wound just in time to make the knight forget what he was going to reply.  
  
Danse kept his cool. Eveline's status was not clear; it had been a long time since she had actively helped the Brotherhood, but her role in Project Purity was not forgotten. Brotherhood cherished valor and treasured great feats - that was the reason she was still allowed to enter their headquarters and use their assets, not quite a Sister but with many privileges of one. Danse was obligated to show her a modicum of respect. And that wouldn't have been a problem, if she weren't little less than a raider. A very strong, very resourceful raider who had in the past shot people in the face for saying the things Rhys was just about to say. 

After being away so long, Danse couldn't know how much loyalty she had left for the Brotherhood. He had half a mind to gun her down right there; if she was about to turn on them, leaving her alive would be catastrophic--  
  
(He heard of what happened at Raven Rock; the scouts and scribes who secured the wreckage were pale when they talked about it. It shocked him then, it shocked him now. Hard to think one person could leave so much destruction in her wake.)  
  
\--but if she wasn't...   
  
"So..." her sneer softened just a bit and she leaned closer, resting her elbows on her knees. "Are you guys here for Madison, too?"  
  
"No", he said after a moment of hesitation. "We are not here after a missing person. Do you mean..."  
  
"Doctor Li just disappeared", she nodded. "No trace of struggle, no blood, personal stuff missing. Even left the key to the house under the doormat. I guess if she wants to leave DC behind, I can't blame her..." she rubbed her hands together absent-mindedly. "But I want to make sure. If I find her, and she's okay, I'll leave her alone and she won't have to see me, or you, again, if not-- I owe her as much. And I ran into you dumbasses because I heard your distress call, and knew that you'd be fucked if I didn't come do your job for you. Jesus, feels like I've been changing the Brotherhood's diapers forever." She got up off the barricade with a groan, and was back to glaring. "There. That's why I'm here. If you're not looking for Madison, what the fuck are you up to here?"  
  
"We..." Danse hated what he was about to say. "We could use your help."


End file.
